II. Complete the open dialogue and learn it by heart

T.	…
W.	As a rule the objective of any firm is to market and sell its products or services profitably.
T.	…
W.	As a matter of fact in small firms, the owner or chief executive officer might assume all advertising, promotions, marketing, sales, and public relations responsibilities.
T.	…
W.	On the contrary, in large firms, which may offer numerous products and services nationally or even worldwide, an executive vice president directs overall advertising, promotions, marketing, sales, and public relations policies.
T.	…
W.	To tell the truth it is the re­sponsibility of the marketing department to promote and organize the sale of products to the purchaser.
T.	…
W.	As far as I know it becomes obvious that making and selling are two facets of the same undertaking.
T.	…
W.	I don't think so. The marketing manager and the production manager are two members of the same team, and marketing managers develop the firm’s detailed marketing strategy.
T.	…
W.	In my opinion marketing managers work with advertising and promotion managers to promote the firm’s products and services and to attract potential users.
T.	…
W.	The matter is that the problem facing any business is that the market for goods and services is ever changing.
T.	…
W.	To my mind new technologies have a devastating effect on the markets.
T.	…
W.	I'm of the same opinion. Foreign language skills have always been important for those wanting to work abroad for domestic firms or to represent foreign firms domestically.
T.	…
W.	As far as I am concerned keeping pace with technology is fundamental to success in the industry. Besides staying abreast of new technology, advertisers must keep in tune with the changing values, cultures, and fashions of the Nation.

UNIT 11

TRANSPORT AND TRANSPORTATION

BEFORE YOU READ

Answer these questions

1. Do you agree that the world of business needs a transport system if it is to function effectively? Why?

2. What do we mean when we say that the world is economically interdependent?

READING TASKS

A Understanding main points

Read the text below about transport and distribution and answer these questions, beginning your answers with the fol­lowing phrases: as a rule …; to tell the truth …; as far as I know …; the matter is that …; as far as I remember …; as far as I am concerned …; frankly/strictly speak­ing …; to make a long story short …

1. What can be made available to all?

2. What do you know about the transport revolution? What country did it take place?

3. What invention was the end of the beginning for the new age of scientific transport? Why?

4. Do you agree that for a typical person in an industrialized country there is nothing that he or she consumes which is not imported from abroad? Why?

5. Why is transport important even during the production process?

6. Why does transport become a major issue again after the goods have been produced?

7. What do we mean saying that between the factories and the final consumers will be a battery of professional carriers?

8. How do the wholesalers manage to reduce the amount of transportation required? What do they justify?

9. Why have cash-and-carry warehouses been developed? What gives them the opportunity to reduce their prices?

10. Give your reasons why the workforce employed in the docks has fallen significantly since containerization was introduced.

B Understanding details

Mark these statements T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the text. Give your reason using the fol­lowing phrases: as a matter of fact ...; I don't think so …; I'm of the same opinion …; in my opinion …; on the contrary …; strictly speaking ...; to my mind ...

1. There are not so many different materials called for that many countries are able to cater for the needs of their industries.

2. The resources of all the countries in the world can be made available to all so long as there are the necessary means of transport.

3. The transport revolution in the nineteenth century was limited to trains.

4. For a typical person in an industrialized country everything that he or she consumes, from food to cars, is produced in his or her country.

5. The world is economically independent.

6. There is no need in transport during the production process.

7. The wholesaler buys in goods from a variety of manufacturers and then distributes them to the customers.

8. The wholesalers increase the amount of transportation required.

9. For those who look for a more flexible arrangement, cash-and-carry warehouses, which are able to reduce their prices, have been developed.

10. It is interesting to note that since containerization was introduced, the workforce employed in the docks has increased significantly.

TRANSPORT AND DISTRIBUTION

The world of business needs a transport system if it is to function effectively. On the one hand, raw materials have to be brought to the factories for processing. Very often those materials need to be imported from other countries. There are so many different materials called for that few countries are able to cater for the needs of their industries. Some countries are rich in one commodity. Other countries are rich in other commodities. The resources of all the countries in the world can be made available to all so long as there are the necessary means of transport.

The transport revolution dates from about 1840 to the end of the nineteenth century. During this time British rolling equipment and tracks were introduced to every continent of the world, invariably purchased on credit or financed in some other way by the increasingly affluent British. The transport revolution was not limited to trains. Iron ships powered by steam were infinitely more efficient than the wooden sailing ships. No longer was it necessary to wait for favourable winds to carry cargoes to their destinations. No longer were there those long dry waits in the doldrums with sailors whistling for the wind. The new vessels could carry greater cargoes, longer distances with more predictable timing. They were even safer since they were not required to flirt with the wind.

The invention of the internal combustion engine was the end of the beginning for the new age of scientific transport. Even before the arrival of the twentieth century, the newfangled motor cars and aeroplanes had appeared and were heralding the age of the legless man. The world had suddenly become small and vulnerable. Yet with the new threats to mankind there were also the opportunities. The affluent part of the world was becoming a giant factory – a single economic unit. Even those areas which remained primary producers began to feel some benefits from the new way of life.

For a typical person in an industrialized country there is nothing that he or she consumes, from food to cars, which is not imported from abroad or made at least partially from imported raw materials. The world is economically interdependent. A car may be assembled in England from parts made in Japan or Germany, which are in turn made of raw materials such as rubber from Malaysia, iron ore from Sweden and chrome from Zimbabwe. The petrol which fuels it may well come from Saudi Arabia. The total miles travelled by all the various materials before they become a car which can be used is astronomical.

Even during the production process transport is important. The work flow will be designed to ensure that the materials being processed travel the shortest possible distance along the factory floor.

However, it is after the goods have been produced that transport becomes a major issue again. Between the factories and the final consumers will be a battery of professional carriers. Fleets of lorries and vans will now be brought into play. In many cases the factories will use the services of a wholesaler. The wholesaler buys in goods from a variety of manufacturers and then distributes them to the retailers, or shopkeepers, as they are more generally called.

The wholesalers reduce the amount of transportation required since they collect supplies in bulk from the factories and provide a cost-saving delivery service to the retailers. Additionally, the wholesalers justify their existence by giving advice and information to retailers in relation to new products, changes in tastes and fashions, and complaints.

For those who look for a more flexible arrangement, cash-and-carry warehouses have been developed so that the smaller shopkeepers and hoteliers can collect supplies whenever they are needed. With outward transport costs eliminated and immediate payment for the purchases being called for, the cash-and-carry warehouses are able to reduce their prices, which goes some way towards meeting the transport costs incurred by their customers.

Whenever goods need to be loaded or unloaded, additional costs are incurred. One way of reducing such costs is through the use of containers. The containers vary in size and shape but the principle is always the same. Loading and unloading between point of departure and destination is minimized. The containers are normally made of steel or aluminium. They are usually enclosed and tend to be of a standard height and width, though some are open-topped with a fixed tarpaulin cover. With standard units stacking is easier and identification is also facilitated. In general, containerization helps speed up the turn-around of vehicles, reduces losses through pilferage and careless handling, and gives protection against the elements. The latter point can be critical when goods are carried on a ship's deck.

It is interesting to note that since containerization was introduced, the workforce employed in the docks has fallen significantly.